


An Overheard Phone Call

by ericsonclan



Series: Ericson's Diner AU [4]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Bonding, F/M, Lunch, Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25980187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Clementine goes to the break room to eat her lunch when she overhears a phone call with Louis. Afterwards Louis opens up to her about it.
Relationships: Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Ericson's Diner AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688374
Kudos: 9





	An Overheard Phone Call

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

Clementine had a later lunch break today, so she hadn’t expected to see anyone else in the staff room when she opened the door. To her surprise, Louis was sitting at the table, his cellphone up to his ear. When he saw her, he stood up as though to graciously leave, but Clementine waved her hand to show that he could stay. She snuck quietly past him to get her food as the call continued.

“So, he liked the gift? Good, that’s good to hear. Will you be bringing him along next time you – what’s that?” Louis’ brow furrowed and he leaned forward on the table, his free hand running through his dreadlocks. “Oh, yeah, that makes sense. We’ll reschedule then. Would April work? You’re not sure yet?” He paused, listening to the voice on the other end of the line. “Oh, that’s awesome! Well, if Phil’s in a play, then I’d love to see it. I could fly out…” Silence once again as Louis nodded in resignation. “Yeah, I get that. Guess it’d be weird for me if I was in his shoes too. OK then, so you’ll get back to me later? Uh huh. Love you too,”

Clementine wasn’t sure, but she thought she’d heard Louis’ voice crack a bit on that last sentence. As he hung up the phone there was an awkward silence between them. Should she ask who that had been? Was it her place? She’d only been working here a few weeks, but she liked to think that Louis saw her as a friend as well as an employee. He was so open with everybody who worked here, but then again, everyone had their secrets.

Their eyes met and he gave her a forced smile. “My mother,” he said, holding out his cellphone. “Looks like her visit will be later than we originally planned,”

“She doesn’t live in town?”

Louis shook his head. “My parents divorced when I was ten. My mom lives in New York now. She usually comes to visit once or twice a year, but she’s gotten so busy…” he sighed. “I was excited to show her how the restaurant’s coming along. It feels like we’re finally getting it off the ground, y’know? Making something of this place,”

Clementine pulled out a chair to sit down at the table. “Well, if she comes later then she’ll be even more impressed, right? It’ll give us time to make Ericson’s Diner the best damn place in town,”

Louis shot her a rueful smile. “That’s the dream,”

Clementine hesitated before asking her next question. “Is Phil your… brother?”

“Half-brother. And his name’s Phillipe. My mom hates it when I call him Phil. Guess I probably should have gone for proper pronunciation for once considering I was trying to get in her good graces to let me visit,”

“She doesn’t let you visit?”

“Well, she never says no… she just uses a lot of words to more tactfully communicate that she doesn’t want me to go there,”

“So, you’ve never seen your little brother?”

“I’ve seen him twice, but it was years ago, back when he was still a baby. He probably doesn’t remember now,” Louis twiddled his thumbs, looking down at the table. “He just turned 6 this last Thursday. I always try to send him something on his birthday. Not that I’m ‘hip’ enough to know what’s popular these days, but still, I figure it can’t hurt.”

“What’d you send him this year?”

“Some Bionicles,” A playful smile crossed Louis’ lips. “I don’t even think they make them anymore, so Phil probably didn’t even know what they were when he opened them. I bought them on eBay, found a lot with some of the classics: Tahu, Gali, Lewa, Pohatu…”

“Pohatu!” Clementine’s eyes lit up in excitement. “He was my favorite!”

“Really?” Louis wrinkled his nose playfully. “I would’ve pegged you for a Kopaka gal. He was my personal favorite anyways,”

Clem shook her head. “I had a poster of Pohatu growing up. He was kicking this boulder in the middle of the desert, and he just looked so badass! I kept that thing until it completely fell apart. Ripped at the seams,”

“Respect,” Louis held out his fist, which Clem readily fist bumped. Louis looked over at the paper bag Clementine had placed on the table. “Oh shit, am I cutting into your lunch break?”

“It’s no big deal. Not like I had anything special planned,” She pulled out a Ziploc with a sandwich in it. “Would you like half?”

Louis shook his head in protest. “Please, don’t starve yourself for little old me. I usually just grab something from the kitchen that got sent back or made by mistake,” He paused. “I could get it now though if you want to eat together?”

Clementine’s smile was warm. “I’d like that,”

They chatted easily as they ate, comparing notes on favorite childhood cartoons and games. Louis did a lot of the talking, barely pausing to eat his food and offering half to Clementine after she finished her small sack lunch. Clementine enjoyed listening to him as he gushed excitedly over Furbies and Tomodachi pets. She hadn’t had any of her own growing up, but she knew enough about them to provide commentary when necessary, input which Louis readily took in then added to with more memories of 90’s and early 2000’s nostalgia. Her lunch break flew by without either keeping track of the time.

Clem pulled herself away from looking at Louis’ goofy grin long enough to check her wristwatch. “Shit!” she exclaimed, jumping up from the table. “I gotta get back out there. Brody’s waiting for me,”

Louis winced. “Oof, my bad. Want me to come out there and apologize to Brody for you? After all, I was the one that got us caught up in that Hot Wheels tangent,”

“Nah, it’s OK,” Clementine placed her lunch bag back in her purse then headed toward the door. She paused before exiting though. “Hey, Louis?”

“Yeah?”

“If you want to see your little brother, I think you should go for it. Even if it makes your mom upset. I know if anyone ever tried to keep me from A.J., I wouldn’t be able to stand it. And I bet Phillipe would be excited to meet you again. I bet you’d make an awesome big brother,”

Louis’ expression brightened at her words. “Thanks, Clem. That means a lot coming from you. You know, as a big sister,”

Clementine felt a warmth rising within her. “I gotta go. See you out there?”

“Be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail,”

Clementine wrinkled her nose in amusement. Her boss was a weirdo. But a pretty sweet weirdo at that.


End file.
